


The Box

by bookishelle



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Episode: s06e03 Jagged Little Tapestry, M/M, Past Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Post-Break Up, Sad Kurt Hummel, box of things, break-up box, just really sad, like i kinda cried while writing it, lots of klaine feels, no one is dead though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26504140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookishelle/pseuds/bookishelle
Summary: It had not been a good week for Kurt Hummel. So when Rachel sends him home following his outburst at glee rehearsal, he breaks down. Deciding that everything was bad enough already, he unpacks a box he swore to never look in again. (I was watching Jagged Little Tapestry and this just came to me and I thought it was an AMAZING idea so here we are)
Kudos: 4





	The Box

“And I think you should just go home and I’ll take it from here today.” Rachel told him with a look that said it was not an option. Kurt sighed and headed to his car, cursing himself for letting his emotions get the best of him. It had been a hard week, with seeing Blaine and Karofsky at Between the Sheets and Brittany and Santana getting engaged and finding out Blaine was moving in with Karofsky. And then Santana confronting him in the hallway and proceeding to somehow bring him down even farther. Yep, it hadn’t been a good week for Kurt Hummel.

He eventually made it home after going for a long drive to try and clear his head. It hadn’t really helped, as it just got him thinking, and that was the last thing Kurt wanted to do at the moment. Pulling up to the house, he saw no other cars in the driveway, which meant his dad and Carole were out. _“At least I can wallow in my self-pity alone.”_ He thought as he parked the car and headed inside. While living with his parents at 21 was the exact opposite of what Kurt had planned, it was always nice to come back to the safety and warmth of his home.

Kurt immediately went up to his room and flopped down on his bed, just like he used to do in high school. He stared up at the spinning blades of his fan and tried to not think. Of course, when you try not to think of anything, you think of everything. The first thing he thought of: Blaine. Kurt couldn’t stop thinking about Blaine. How badly he screwed everything up. How Blaine seemed to be moving on, perfectly happy, while Kurt felt like he was slowly dying. 

A few tears ran down his face and he didn’t even feel like wiping them away. He turned over on his side and curled into a fetal position as he began to sob. All of the events from the past week came crashing down. This isn’t how it should’ve been. He should be in NYC with Blaine, his **husband** , doing his work-study program at the Lexington Home for Retired Performers. But no, he was back in Lima teaching a glee club, his ex-fiance dating his former high school bully. It was too much.

Eventually his sobs subsided, and Kurt got up to clean up his face, as he knew it was a puffy red mess. As he headed over to his bathroom, something caught his eye in the mirror. The shadow of a box under his bed, a box he had sworn to never look in again. He sighed, sat down on the floor near his bed, and pulled out the box. _“I already feel horrible so what’s even the point anymore?”_ he thought as he lifted the flaps on the top and opened it all the way.

He began slowly unpacking it, pausing at every object he pulled from the brown cardboard. A faded Dalton tie. Two tickets from RENT at the Community Playhouse. A receipt from the Lima Bean. A warblers sign. A faded red rose. A picture from prom. Another Lima Bean receipt, this one with “i love you” written at the bottom, surrounded by little hearts. A faded McKinley Phys. Ed. hoodie. Tickets from McKinley's West Side Story. A framed photo of a screenshot from the Christmas special. Another rose. Another picture from prom, this time with a dinosaur. A letter he was given right after graduation. Tickets from Grease. A small snow globe of Bryant Park. A bowtie. A few more loose photos. A pin that used to be on his school bag for NYADA. A handwritten ‘reasons why I love you’ booklet. Some little notes on Post-Its. Another hoodie, this time from NYADA. And finally, at the very bottom, a picture that used to hang in his locker, a word collage made out of magazine cutouts, and two small boxes. 

He ran his hands over each and every object, no matter how small or insignificant they seemed. Because none of it was insignificant, not when it came to Blaine. All his good memories were here, in this box. He had planned on throwing it away after their breakup, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Because if he did that, it would feel like he was turning his back on Blaine forever. And he would never do that. Ever.

As he came down to the very bottom of the box, a few tears threatened to spill over. This probably hadn’t been the best idea, but it was too late now. First he pulled out the picture that used to hang in his locker, a school photo of Blaine at Dalton. Now that he thought about it, it was kinda creepy that he had put up a picture of Blaine after only knowing him for a few days. But that picture had always been a source of comfort for him. He placed it gingerly to the side.

Next was the ‘Courage' collage. He remembered coming home that day, after eating lunch with Blaine, and sitting down to make it. It hung in his locker for over a year after that day. When he had shown Blaine the collage and the picture, he was so afraid Blaine would’ve thought it was stalkery or weird. But instead he had grinned stupidly wide and said he was honored to be a main focal point of Kurt’s locker. They had walked out of the school hand in hand that day. 

Tears really did fall this time as Kurt remembered that day. They had only just gotten together, still in the honeymoon phase of soft kisses and warm hugs and dates where they would hold hands the entire time. Kurt wished he could go back to then and tell his past self to try harder. To never give up. To let down his walls and let Blaine in, instead of slowly pushing him away until it was too late. 

Finally, the two little boxes. Kurt picked up the larger of the two, a red box with a Christmas bow on top. He opened in and pulled out the promise ring. It was still in perfect condition, the gum wrappers folded together and the shiny bowtie stuck on top. _“Perfectly imperfect.”_ Kurt gently stroked it. It had been such a thoughtful gift. He remembered staring at Blaine, who had a stupid grin on his face, so obviously proud of himself. He had loved him so much in that moment. He gingerly put the ring back in its box and wiped away a few tears. 

And now the last box, a little black one, the edge rimmed in gold. He slowly pulled it open and stared at the small silver band inside. His engagement ring. He ran his fingers over the cool metal, but didn’t take it out. He hadn’t taken it out ever since he put it back in the little box 2 months ago, 2 weeks after they had broken up. Right after they broke up and Blaine had moved out, Kurt kept wearing his ring, if only for the reason that he had gotten so used to it over the past year. But also because it meant something, and taking it off would have been admitting that that thing was completely over. It was only when he heard that Blaine had moved back to Lima that he had taken it off, put it back in the little black box, and tried to get rid of anything Blaine-related. All of those things had gone in the box, the box that was currently empty with the contents strewn all over Kurt’s floor.

As Kurt stared at the ring, the memories of the engagement came flying back, until it was like he was reliving it all over again. He remembered all of the anxiety he felt before going into Dalton, and how it had immediately disappeared as soon as he had seen Blaine. He remembered how he could barely take in the extravagance of the proposal as he was pulled through the halls. He remembered walking down the staircase and seeing Blaine at the bottom, singing to him and only him. He remembered every word of the proposal. He remembered the crushing embrace they had shared, and putting on the ring for the first time. But the biggest thing he remembered was the feeling of love. In that moment, everything was perfect. Kurt loved Blaine, and Blaine loved Kurt and that was all there was, just love, love, love. Soulmates. That’s what they were.

Kurt took the ring out and slid it on to his finger. He closed his eyes and imagined it was a wedding band, that he and Blaine were happily married, living back in NYC. Going to class every day. Walking through the streets, hand in hand. Coming home to each other every day. Cooking together and stealing kisses in between bites of their meal. Cuddling on the couch during a movie. Going to bed with Blaine in his arms. It was all so clear. Kurt almost believed it was real, that he was actually with Blaine. 

But then he opened his eyes. He was in his bedroom in Lima, and Blaine was living with another guy. Tears rushed into his eyes again, and Kurt didn’t even try to stop them from falling. He just collapsed back into bed and sobbed himself to sleep, surrounded by the contents of the box and twisting the silver engagement ring around his finger.

**Author's Note:**

> And tada! These are the kind of things my mind think of when watching Glee, because apparently the show wasn't angsy or sad enough in the first place. This kinda made me tear up a bit, so we love that! Anyway, I hope you liked it and if you want more, I have a few other stories on my profile :) ~ Elle


End file.
